Indian-born designer convicted in LA of sexual assault

LOS ANGELES: Indian-born fashion designer Anand Jon Alexander was convicted on Thursday of sexually assaulting girls and women, some of them aspiring models who authorities say were lured to Los Angeles with rarely fulfilled promises of jobs and stays at luxury hotels.

After nearly two weeks of deliberation, a jury found the 34-year-old designer guilty of 20 of 23 counts, including forcible rape and committing a lewd act upon a child. Authorities say Alexander's seven victims ranged in age from 14 to 21.

He faces as much as life in prison when he is sentenced. Defence attorneys maintained their client was innocent, saying that there was a lack of physical evidence and that Alexander's accusers lied in court and sought revenge.

Before his arrest last year, Alexander was featured on the television show "America's Next Top Model" and worked with celebrities including Paris Hilton and Mary J Blige.

Beverly Hills police began investigating Alexander in March 2007 when a woman reported she had been sexually assaulted by the designer in his apartment.

Alexander also is under indictment in New York on similar charges involving nine women and is under investigation by authorities in Texas and Massachusetts.

Alexander graduated from the Parsons School of Design in New York and launched a fashion line in 1999. He was considered an up-and-coming designer and was named a person to watch by Newsweek.